


Lay here for years or for hours (So long we become the flowers)

by zefrumiousbandersnatch



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-07
Updated: 2016-05-07
Packaged: 2018-06-06 21:02:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6769774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zefrumiousbandersnatch/pseuds/zefrumiousbandersnatch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering. </p><p>Years after their deaths, Lexa and Clarke have passed on to the realm of legends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lay here for years or for hours (So long we become the flowers)

1.

There is a story often told of how the sky and the earth fell in love and created all life.

The ancient peoples of Greece spoke of Gaea and Uranus, of a Mother Earth and the Father Sky who saved her from a life of solitude. Resigned to an eternity of isolation, Gaea spent her days looking at the darkness above her and the emptiness around her, living a lonely life for a long, long time.

She awoke one day to find Uranus staring back at her, stars gleaming in his eyes.

They fell in love.

And so created was life on Earth: air and water, mountains and plains.

The Maori people, even older than the Greeks of yore, point to a similar story of creation.  Sky Father Ranginui and Earth Mother Papatuanuku were deeply in love. They would lie together locked in a tight embrace, not once willing to spend a moment apart.  Their many children, forced to live in the dark and cramped space between their parents, plotted to pry them apart.

They succeeded. And Ranginui and Papatuanuku were separated for all eternity.

Ranginui wept for his love, his tears showering Papatuanuku and surrounding her with beautiful flowers, various in kind and in every shade known to mankind. Papatuanuku quaked in sadness, mountains forming in an attempt to reach for her lover.

It was their sacrifice that allowed life to flourish on Earth.

But this is old lore, lost in the pages of books and tomes of years before fires came down from the sky and engulfed the world in flames.

This retelling of a tale as old as time itself, often weaved with soft tones and kind eyes, is of the Ground and the Sky. There is no pretense of religion this time. The stories are not told in lieu of scientific understanding of the elements and the world.

This story is told to teach children and remind grown adults this simple message—very little is needed to make a happy life.

There was the Ground, stoic and strong. A great evil had come through, leaving in its wake much suffering and death. The Ground was steadfast, providing much of herself for the survival of life on Earth. The day the Sky fell to the Ground is the day that changed everything. Rejected by her people, the Sky took it upon herself to save those banished with her.

The Ground helped the Sky recognize her own inner strength and the Sky taught the Ground how to love and be loved in return. Like Gaea and Uranus, their deep love brought about prosperity and happiness. They vanquished the great evil threatening to swallow the world in darkness and there was something more to life than survival.

Like Ranginui and Papatuanuku, they were also forced apart.

But this is not where their story ends. The Ground and the Sky live on in the animated tales told at bed time and silent prayers whispered before taking a leap of faith. They live on in the laughter of children playing pretend.  They live on with every display of strength and compassion.

The Ground and the Sky lived and loved and they will be together for all eternity in our stories.

 

2.

You look out the window of the hovercraft, eyeing the city seemingly rising from the ground. The man next to you, fast asleep and still snoring, sways dangerously close to your lap and you fold in on yourself a little bit. You sigh and pull your knapsack closer to your body.

“First time in Clarke City?”

The voice startles you. The guy next to you looks expectantly, his bionic eyes blinking.

“Yes.”

“Business or pleasure?”

“Um,” You start, unsure of what to say. Your mother always said not to divulge any information to city folk. She must have repeated it a hundred times as you waited to board the same hovercraft you are on now.

“Both?” You stammer out. “I’ve just moved here. For schooling.”

“Ah,” The guy draws out, looking back out the window.

“Yep.”

You look away at this point, smiling an apologetic smile. Talking to people you don’t know never was your forte. Or talking to people you do know for that matter. But the conversation, apparently, is not over.

“Know much about the city?”

“Only where my apartment is in relation to the airfield.”

The guy laughs.

“That’s a start, I guess.”

“Well, the best part of Clarke—at least, in my humble opinion—is Alexandria. You should definitely go on a hike when you can. It’s beautiful. Most beautiful Mountain on the planet.”

You’ve heard of Mount Alexandria. It’s the tallest peak in the country after all. There are models in your holobooks: mighty slopes towering over the bustling city at the base of the mountain, standing guard and protecting its people.

“I’ll have to check it out.”

A ding lets you know that you’ve landed on the airstrip. The sleeping man next to you is startled awake, wide eyed and unsure of where he is. You inch farther away from him and make a move to get up.

“Try to go both day and night,” the guy continues, falling in line next to you. “The biofluorescent fields are a sight to see.”

You’re about to say that there’s a lot of biofluoresence in your town when a towering statue comes to view.  The two figures look out, welcoming you to the city.

“It’s a replica,” The guy from the hovercraft mentions. “The real one—which is like, a thousand years old—is in the City Museum. To protect it from acid rain, you know?”

You nod, staring up in awe.

“Welcome to Clarke City, stranger.”

 

3.

 “Are you going to share?”

 “Get your own berries. I got these from the Enceladus System.”

 “I guess I shouldn’t bother telling you that’s my sweater you’re wearing.”

 “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

 “Of course.”

 “Look!”

 “What a convenient change of topic.”

 “No seriously, look.”

 “The plot thickens. This is a lot of effort to make sure I don’t steal a berr--OW!!”

 “Will you pay attention?”

 “The berries have had my undivided attention this entire time.”

 “Fine. Here. You can have some.”

 “It’s the little victories. Hey, Claire, look! Isn’t that your favorite constellation?”

 “...”

 “What, why are you staring at me like that?”

 “Nothing.”

 “Why’s that your favorite constellation again?”

 “Because.”

 “Because...?’

 “Because. It makes me a little hopeful.”

 “Yeah?”

 “Don’t think I’m not watching you. I said you can have some, not all of the berries.”

 “It was worth a shot. Anyhow, carry on.”

 “You’ve read the story. You know what happened to them.”

 “I mean, we don’t _really_ know what happened. We just know it was tragic.”

 “It’s beautiful.”

 “Or that.”

 “It’s a nice ending, of sorts. Up there in the stars, they’ll be together for all eternity.”

 “Mmm...I like to think they got a second chance. Not an ending, more like an epilogue”

 “You think so?”

 “Sure. It’s been a millennia.”

 “Never would have pegged you for a romantic, Alex.”

 “What? It’s true.”

 “Do you think they lived happily?” ”

 “That love, the kind powerful enough to shape the world we live in now? That’s unstoppable. I have to believe Heda and Wanheda found each other again.”

 “I hope you’re right.”

 “I hope so too.”

  

4.

 “Lexa.”

 “Hm?”

 “Your name,” Clarke says quietly. “I like the sound of it.”

 “Alexandria,” Lexa tells her. “This is my birth name.”

 Clarke tests the word out, letting the name roll off her tongue.

 “Alexandria.”

 “It’s beautiful,” She decides.

 They are quiet for a minute and then Lexa speaks.

 “There was once a great warrior king named Alexander. He spent years in battle and bloodshed, uniting warring peoples under one banner.”

 Clarke burrows further, her cheek feeling Lexa’s chest vibrate with every word she speaks. She traces circles on Lexa’s stomach.

 “Did he also have a penchant for candles?”

 Lexa frowns.

 “Mockery is not the product of a strong mind, Clarke.”

 Clarke laughs.

 “Although legend says he was handsome and wise. A gifted fighter and an even better general,” Lexa turns slightly to look at her with an uneven smirk. “If you insist on making comparisons.”

 Clarke makes a big display of rolling her eyes.

 “He fell in love with a foreign princess, from the moment he laid eyes on her. She was beautiful and brave and he knew he had met his match. They were united despite opposition from all those around them.”

 “Roshanak. His little star.”

 Clarke’s hand stills.

 Lexa stops, as if this is where history ends. The warrior and the princess happily united and forgotten by the books she eagerly devoured time and time again.

 “What happened to them?” Clarke ventures to ask.

 Lexa kisses the top of her head, pulling Clarke closer to her.

 “They died.”

 Clarke frowns. Lexa moves to lean over her, bringing up a hand to cup her cheek.

 “But first,” she says solemnly. “They lived. He loved her and she loved him and they will be together for all eternity in our stories.”

 Clarke nods, leaning up to meet Lexa halfway.

**Author's Note:**

> Canon. Non-canon. Whatever you make of it.


End file.
